On a gray morning earlier this week I had an in-town errand. As I pulled into the still mostly empty lot, I spotted a nice little pickup which I chose as my parking neighbor. My own Tacoma, though it would have looked small compared to the F150 you can see in the background here, absolutely dwarfed this JDM rarity.

I don’t know much about these trucks, and JDM vehicles in general are rare here; even if old enough to import federally, California’s emissions laws apply back to 1976, at least for gasoline vehicles. In any case, this trucklet had Vermont plates. A quick Wikipedia search revealed that these Kei trucks were launched in 1977, and are still sold in Japan, albeit only in 2WD form now.

This one is an early second generation Acty, with round headlights that were soon replaced by integrated rectangular lights. so it’s probably a 1988 or ’89. The first Acty was powered by a 545cc twin, mounted amidship, but this 2nd gen Acty probably has a 547cc triple. Maximum speed is 65 mph. Since 1990, the Acty has been powered by a 656cc engine.

The length is just a few inches over ten feet, so judging by the proportions the bed is actually longer than the 5 footer on my “short bed” Tacoma. The Acty was offered as both a van and pickup, but I’m a pickup guy, so this this would actually be a pretty practical vehicle for about 80% of my usage: dump and home center runs, in-town shopping, and with 4wd, easy access to the back acres of our mountain property for firewood collection. The low bed would be ideal to toss in a few mountain bikes for those days we don’t just ride to the trailhead. Hmmm … maybe I should track it down again and leave a note under the windshield wiper.

24 Comments

Funny that you mentioned tossing in mountain bikes because a bike shop near me owns a van version of the Acty (not sure what the vans were actually Actys or not). It’s often parked in front of their shop, but I’ve never seen it on the road. Still, I assume it makes for a sensible and (probably more importantly) eye-catching delivery vehicle.

There are quite a few of these in Atlantic Canada. The 15 year import policy helps this, I guess. In my small community of 2500 people, there are at least 3 of them. They make good little woods buggies and are still street legal.

I’ve heard that the bolt pattern on these match some brands of ATVs. This makes a 4×4 track kit a possibility.

I’d argue the drink derived it’s name from railroad lore, where “Highball” referred to open track. When I saw Highball on the side of the truck, I pictured the owner rolling down the open road at full throttle (@ a blistering 58 MPH).

From Wikipedia:

the name may have come from early railroad signals with raised globes meaning “clear track ahead”

I wondered about that ¡¡HIGHBALL!! sticker, then realized that one of the businesses across the street sells a product of that name. It’s actually a European-owned global company. Perhaps the Acty is used for marketing or just owned by an enthusiastic employee.

Kei trucks are moderately common in Oregon in areas exempt from DEQ testing. Kei trucks are often marketed as a more capable alternative to a UTV since they have larger beds and nicer cabs. I f I had a large property I’d definitely consider a Kei truck with a dump bed as my utility vehicle since I can actually register it and drive to the store.
The rarest ones are LHD trucks originally imported for off road use nd then registered later, I’ve seen an LHD Hijet in Bend with the remains of Army Corps of Engineers markings from one of the Columbia River dams.

This reminds me of the Mitsubishi utility vehicles that were (and may still be) used by the facilities maintenance crews at Yale University when I worked there a few years ago.

They ran on propane, if memory serves, and I assumed that they were made for use in industrial facilities. They were driven all over campus, on sidewalks and streets and spaces between buildings, but I don’t recall seeing license plates on them. They were perfect for the crowded campus because they could carry people and tools to places where regular trucks could not go.

They didn’t strike me as being able to meet crashworthiness standards or fast enough to be legal or practical for road use.

The attached photo is from the internet, but this is what they looked like.

It also reminds me of this old Subaru pickup, which I assume is a relative of the 360. It was stashed away in the service area of a local Subaru dealer then, and is now serving as a brochure display kiosk in the showroom. Though it has a certain cuteness factor it is incredibly small and spartan, and seems eminently unsuitable for road use.

Edit. What a funny coincidence. I just saw the article about Malcolm Bricklin and the Yugo up above.

Yes it is a version of the 360. In the late 70’s in the greater Seattle area there was an ice cream company that used these with coolers filled with dry ice in the back. I do remember seeing them on the freeway heading back and forth to their routes.

One camper shell, truck accessories dealer here in Elizabethtown Ky. sells these. Haven’t noticed any street licensed around. I am guessing they are all sold as off-road. Must not be able to register them in Ky. Surprising though as no state inspection here. And you don’t have to have a separate license plate for some trailers. So pretty liberal vehicle laws.